Rio Ferdinand has tipped Mauricio Pochettino to be the next permanent Manchester United manager following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but not until the end of the season.
A number of managerial figures have been linked with the post in recent months after the Norwegian faced weeks of scrutiny with Brendan Rodgers, Zinedine Zidane, Erik ten Hag, Antonio Conte and Pochettino all linked.
The Manchester Evening News understands that the Reds are confident of acquiring the Argentine with Paris Saint Germain demanding £10m in compensation for his services.
Solskjaer's run as United boss came to a sorry end when relegation-threatened Watford netted 4-1 to hand Claudio Ranieri just his second win since taking over at Vicarage Road.
Pochettino has been in Ligue 1 since January after Thomas Tuchel's dismissal after being relieved of his duties in North London in 2019, just months after reaching the Champions League final with Spurs.
Prior to the news that the former Southampton boss would be keen to make the switch from the Parc des Princes to Old Trafford, the former United defender tipped the French Cup double-winning manager to be next in the hot seat.
“I don't think that Pochettino leaves PSG during the season,” he said on the Vibe with FIVE YouTube channel.
“He's a man of integrity, he's a man of respect. I think he's grateful for the opportunity to be at PSG and as a man, I think he'll just say: ‘If they want me that bad they'll wait’."
It's not the first time that the Argentine has been linked with the vacant position at the Theatre of Dreams, as during his time with Spurs he was linked in 2018 after the departure of Jose Mourinho.
Ferdinand added: “I think from the media that we saw over the last couple of years when he was out of work, that for him Man United is the pinnacle, is the club he'd love to get to, get his hands on and guide that club.
"Do I think he's a good fit? I think he would be. If it's the Pochettino I saw at Southampton, Espanyol, early part up to the game at Ajax with Spurs, that pressing team, high energy, aggressive team., if that Pochettino comes, I'd say he's a great candidate.
“He's got a lot of stuff going on at PSG so you have to be respectful in that sense.
“It's all about what PSG want as well because they're not the kind of club that will just relinquish their manager during the season.
“I'm putting money on Pochettino, for the end of the season, start of next season, my money's on Pochettino being manager.”
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